Edmunds Adds 1987 Buick Grand National to Long-Term Fleet
11-26-2012, 10:21 AM
#1
TECH Veteran
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Phoenix, AZ Hometown: Aberdeen, SD
Posts: 4,231
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Edmunds Adds 1987 Buick Grand National to Long-Term Fleet Introduction
By Scott Oldham, Editor in Chief | Published Sep 7, 2012
I can't remember Chuck's last name, but I'll never forget his car. Chuck's Grand National owned the street racing scene in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, back when my mullet was ripe and Bon Jovi was "Living on a Prayer." Chuck's car was a 1986, with T-tops and the rare white-letter tire option. I used to think that was so cool. I remember he removed the catalytic converter and it would run 13.8s at Englishtown all day.
In 1986 that was faster than sound.
If you were there, you know that speed — real speed — was still hard to come by in the mid-1980s. Though the decade was being marketed as the era of the modern muscle car, real speed remained universally unavailable. Sure, the 5.0 Mustang was a highlight, and Chevy's Monte Carlo SS and IROC-Z Camaro were quicker than anything since the 1960s, but truth is they weren't really that fast. Hell, the 305-cubic-inch V8 in the Monte was only pumping out 180 horsepower.
There was one car, however, that was different. One car that was truly quick. One car that could blow the doors off of anything else you could buy, including those storied big-displacement muscle cars from the 1960s. That car was the Buick Regal Grand National. It owned the street back then.
From 1986 until the big-buck Corvette ZR1 hit in 1990, the turbocharged Buicks in Darth Vader black ruled every cruise spot and street racing haunt in America. They outran anything and everything for 1,320 feet, including that rich kid's Corvette or his daddy's Porsche 911 Turbo. When you showed up in a GN, you got respect.
And they were affordable. Base price in 1987 was $16,154. More than a 5.0 Mustang, but much less than a Vette. Kids fresh out of school would land a job and run out and buy a Buick. A very black Buick that sounded like a hair dryer and smoked anything with a V8, including Chevy's plastic fantastic. That Friday night they were showing it off at the Roy Rogers in Toms River or in the pits at Englishtown.
Special then, special now is how the saying goes. Today, Buick Grand Nationals are bona fide collector cars, increasing in value every single day. And we just bought one.
What We Got
We just purchased one of the nicest Grand Nationals in the world. It's a 1987 Buick Regal Grand National with T-tops that has only been driven 5,000 miles. That is not a misprint. This car is perfect. A time capsule. A stone-stock perfectly preserved example of American power and style, and we just made it ours for $25,000.
Buick began selling the Grand National in 1982, but it wasn't black, it wasn't turbocharged and nobody cared. Only 215 folks bought the hot rod Regal with the NASCAR name, but Buick stuck with the concept and continued to turn up the wick. There was no 1983 model, but in 1984 the GN was back, this time with 200 turbocharged horsepower and its now infamous all-black styling treatment. Still, nobody cared. Even an MTV music-video-style TV commercial didn't help. Only 2,000 were sold. In 1985 little changed, including sales, which totaled 2,102.
Then, in 1986, an icon was born. Buick added an intercooler to the turbocharged coupe and reinvented the muscle car. Horsepower jumped to 235 hp and suddenly everyone wanted to know what an intercooler was.
The forced-induction system feeds its 14-15 psi of boost to a 3.8-liter V6 with sequential fuel injection (SFI), a distributor-less computer-controlled ignition, electronic wastegate controls and a compression ratio of 8.0:1. It was some high-tech stuff 25 years ago, but it was combined with old-school GM muscle car hardware like pushrods, a full ladder-type frame, a solid rear axle (3.42 gear ratio), rear drum brakes and 15-inch wheels and tires. The only transmission was a 200-4R four-speed automatic with an overdrive. Don't laugh. The combination worked.
According to the definitive book on the subject — Buick GNX by Martyn L. Schorr — sales shot up in 1986 to 5,512 units (7,896 if you include T-type models, which were essentially Grand Nationals but without the blackout treatment). Then GM announced that the rear-wheel-drive G-body platform would be replaced in 1988 with the front-wheel-drive GM10. If you wanted a Grand National, 1987 was going to be your last shot. Output got another bump to 245 hp and sales skyrocketed to over 22,000 (27,590 with T-types). The GN became so popular that GM extended production through December (it was supposed to end in July) to fill the orders.
Everyone knew it was the end of something special, including Buick's engineers and product guys. Which is why they cooked up the also very black GNX, an even more powerful tweaked-up version of the GN — or the Grand National to end all Grand Nationals, as it was billed. Some 547 were built and they cost as much as $100,000 today on the collector car market.
After three or four months of shopping for our own GN, we had all but given up hope and had moved on to shopping used AMG Mercedes. But one final Internet search turned up this car just six miles from our office at Fleiner Automotive, a body/paint/sales facility on the west side of Los Angeles. We called, we looked, we test-drove and we negotiated.
Adam Fleiner's small facility was packed with interesting rides, from a 1967 Chevy Impala SS with a big-block 427-cubic-inch V8 and four-speed to a Gasser-style '55 Chevy, a Bentley Continental GT and a Ferrari F355 Spider. Fleiner had the Buick on consignment and was asking $28,900. Adam was pleasant on the phone, even nicer in person and he didn't hesitate when we asked him to put the Buick up on his lift so we could get a good look at its underside.
Along with the factory black-vinyl T-top bags, which protect the glass panels while they're stashed in the trunk, our GN also came with its original window sticker (incredible). It was sold new at Pepe Chevrolet and Buick in Millville, New Jersey, and it was ordered with more than a few desirable options: electric door locks ($145); power windows ($210); electric trunk lock release ($50); hatch roof ($895); lighted visor passenger side vanity mirror ($50); electronic cruise control ($175); automatic power antenna ($70); concert-sound speaker system ($95); and a six-way power driver seat ($240). Total with a $430 destination charge was $18,514. Its EPA ratings, by the way, were 17 mpg city and 25 mpg highway.
Any car that's 25 years old is going to need a little love, and our Buick, despite its extremely low mileage, is no exception. The right front shock is junk, the Goodyear tires look new but date back to 1996, plus we're going to spring for some basic maintenance, like an oil change, a new fuel filter and a basic tune-up.
We're still taking care of those fixes. So far we've only driven the car about 100 miles. In fact, we're still on our first tank of gas. But we should have it sorted in a week or two and then we're going to drive the snot out of it.
Why We Got It
Selfish reasons really. I graduated high school in 1987. In New Jersey.
'Nuff said.
Plus, it gave us an excuse to pull off the ultimate 1980s-style photo shoot, complete with big hair and a boom box. It's going to be a fun year with this thing.
Follow the action with the 1987 Buick Regal Grand National on our long-term blog. And Chuck, old buddy, if you're reading this, give me a call. We'll go for a ride.
By Scott Oldham, Editor in Chief | Published Sep 7, 2012
I can't remember Chuck's last name, but I'll never forget his car. Chuck's Grand National owned the street racing scene in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, back when my mullet was ripe and Bon Jovi was "Living on a Prayer." Chuck's car was a 1986, with T-tops and the rare white-letter tire option. I used to think that was so cool. I remember he removed the catalytic converter and it would run 13.8s at Englishtown all day.
In 1986 that was faster than sound.
If you were there, you know that speed — real speed — was still hard to come by in the mid-1980s. Though the decade was being marketed as the era of the modern muscle car, real speed remained universally unavailable. Sure, the 5.0 Mustang was a highlight, and Chevy's Monte Carlo SS and IROC-Z Camaro were quicker than anything since the 1960s, but truth is they weren't really that fast. Hell, the 305-cubic-inch V8 in the Monte was only pumping out 180 horsepower.
There was one car, however, that was different. One car that was truly quick. One car that could blow the doors off of anything else you could buy, including those storied big-displacement muscle cars from the 1960s. That car was the Buick Regal Grand National. It owned the street back then.
From 1986 until the big-buck Corvette ZR1 hit in 1990, the turbocharged Buicks in Darth Vader black ruled every cruise spot and street racing haunt in America. They outran anything and everything for 1,320 feet, including that rich kid's Corvette or his daddy's Porsche 911 Turbo. When you showed up in a GN, you got respect.
And they were affordable. Base price in 1987 was $16,154. More than a 5.0 Mustang, but much less than a Vette. Kids fresh out of school would land a job and run out and buy a Buick. A very black Buick that sounded like a hair dryer and smoked anything with a V8, including Chevy's plastic fantastic. That Friday night they were showing it off at the Roy Rogers in Toms River or in the pits at Englishtown.
Special then, special now is how the saying goes. Today, Buick Grand Nationals are bona fide collector cars, increasing in value every single day. And we just bought one.
What We Got
We just purchased one of the nicest Grand Nationals in the world. It's a 1987 Buick Regal Grand National with T-tops that has only been driven 5,000 miles. That is not a misprint. This car is perfect. A time capsule. A stone-stock perfectly preserved example of American power and style, and we just made it ours for $25,000.
Buick began selling the Grand National in 1982, but it wasn't black, it wasn't turbocharged and nobody cared. Only 215 folks bought the hot rod Regal with the NASCAR name, but Buick stuck with the concept and continued to turn up the wick. There was no 1983 model, but in 1984 the GN was back, this time with 200 turbocharged horsepower and its now infamous all-black styling treatment. Still, nobody cared. Even an MTV music-video-style TV commercial didn't help. Only 2,000 were sold. In 1985 little changed, including sales, which totaled 2,102.
Then, in 1986, an icon was born. Buick added an intercooler to the turbocharged coupe and reinvented the muscle car. Horsepower jumped to 235 hp and suddenly everyone wanted to know what an intercooler was.
The forced-induction system feeds its 14-15 psi of boost to a 3.8-liter V6 with sequential fuel injection (SFI), a distributor-less computer-controlled ignition, electronic wastegate controls and a compression ratio of 8.0:1. It was some high-tech stuff 25 years ago, but it was combined with old-school GM muscle car hardware like pushrods, a full ladder-type frame, a solid rear axle (3.42 gear ratio), rear drum brakes and 15-inch wheels and tires. The only transmission was a 200-4R four-speed automatic with an overdrive. Don't laugh. The combination worked.
According to the definitive book on the subject — Buick GNX by Martyn L. Schorr — sales shot up in 1986 to 5,512 units (7,896 if you include T-type models, which were essentially Grand Nationals but without the blackout treatment). Then GM announced that the rear-wheel-drive G-body platform would be replaced in 1988 with the front-wheel-drive GM10. If you wanted a Grand National, 1987 was going to be your last shot. Output got another bump to 245 hp and sales skyrocketed to over 22,000 (27,590 with T-types). The GN became so popular that GM extended production through December (it was supposed to end in July) to fill the orders.
Everyone knew it was the end of something special, including Buick's engineers and product guys. Which is why they cooked up the also very black GNX, an even more powerful tweaked-up version of the GN — or the Grand National to end all Grand Nationals, as it was billed. Some 547 were built and they cost as much as $100,000 today on the collector car market.
After three or four months of shopping for our own GN, we had all but given up hope and had moved on to shopping used AMG Mercedes. But one final Internet search turned up this car just six miles from our office at Fleiner Automotive, a body/paint/sales facility on the west side of Los Angeles. We called, we looked, we test-drove and we negotiated.
Adam Fleiner's small facility was packed with interesting rides, from a 1967 Chevy Impala SS with a big-block 427-cubic-inch V8 and four-speed to a Gasser-style '55 Chevy, a Bentley Continental GT and a Ferrari F355 Spider. Fleiner had the Buick on consignment and was asking $28,900. Adam was pleasant on the phone, even nicer in person and he didn't hesitate when we asked him to put the Buick up on his lift so we could get a good look at its underside.
Along with the factory black-vinyl T-top bags, which protect the glass panels while they're stashed in the trunk, our GN also came with its original window sticker (incredible). It was sold new at Pepe Chevrolet and Buick in Millville, New Jersey, and it was ordered with more than a few desirable options: electric door locks ($145); power windows ($210); electric trunk lock release ($50); hatch roof ($895); lighted visor passenger side vanity mirror ($50); electronic cruise control ($175); automatic power antenna ($70); concert-sound speaker system ($95); and a six-way power driver seat ($240). Total with a $430 destination charge was $18,514. Its EPA ratings, by the way, were 17 mpg city and 25 mpg highway.
Any car that's 25 years old is going to need a little love, and our Buick, despite its extremely low mileage, is no exception. The right front shock is junk, the Goodyear tires look new but date back to 1996, plus we're going to spring for some basic maintenance, like an oil change, a new fuel filter and a basic tune-up.
We're still taking care of those fixes. So far we've only driven the car about 100 miles. In fact, we're still on our first tank of gas. But we should have it sorted in a week or two and then we're going to drive the snot out of it.
Why We Got It
Selfish reasons really. I graduated high school in 1987. In New Jersey.
'Nuff said.
Plus, it gave us an excuse to pull off the ultimate 1980s-style photo shoot, complete with big hair and a boom box. It's going to be a fun year with this thing.
Follow the action with the 1987 Buick Regal Grand National on our long-term blog. And Chuck, old buddy, if you're reading this, give me a call. We'll go for a ride.
11-26-2012, 10:46 AM
#2
TECH Veteran
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Phoenix, AZ Hometown: Aberdeen, SD
Posts: 4,231
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Testing the Turbo Buick That Shocked the World...in the '80s
By Mike Magrath, Features Editor | Published Nov 21, 2012
Edmunds tests hundreds of vehicles a year. Cars, trucks, SUVs, we run them all, and the numbers always tell a story. With that in mind we present "Track Tested," a quick rundown of all the data we collect at the track, along with comments direct from the test drivers. Enjoy.
There are moments in a gearhead's life you will always remember. Buying your first Hot Wheels. The first time you ever drove a car. Your first speeding ticket. Your first burnout. And, for many, the first time you saw the chunky blackness of a Buick Grand National tear a Mustang a new one on the drag strip.
The specter that turbocharged beast cast in our collective memories set a mental benchmark for cool cars and has stayed with us for so long that as soon as we found a good one, we bought a 1987 Buick Regal Grand National for our long-term test fleet.
As you'd expect, we were excited to test our new Buick Grand National. First, however, we needed to replace the aging shocks and throw on a set of new meats, BF Goodrich Radial T/As of course. We also paid up for some basic maintenance like a new fuel filter and transmission fluid. But make no mistake, this is one of the lowest-mileage, stone-stockest Buick Grand Nationals in the world.
In their day, Grand Nationals terrorized tracks from Epping to Englishtown, Pomona to Portland and everywhere in between. But that was a different day and a different game. Drag strips are specially prepped, while our testing facility emulates real-world pavement.
Also, our 2012-spec California-special 91-octane has nothing on the liquid chest hair that was 1987-spec 93+ octane frequently available at the tracks we grew up on — if they were even running pump gas. And remember, we've already verified that the Buick's computer is retarding the engine timing 4 degrees at full throttle in response to the low-octane modern fuel.
In other words, the crazy-quick elapsed times we remember from the Reagan administration would be very difficult to repeat these days with our 25-year-old example. Back then we remember GNs running the quarter-mile in the 14.0-14.4-second range. And they would dip into the 13s when the catalytic converter was tossed and a more aggressive "chip" was plugged into the ECM.
With that in mind, we set out to test our Buick Grand National. As expected, it's a bit off the pace set back in 1987. But it's no slouch.
We'll test it again soon on some high-octane go juice and report back.
Vehicle: 1987 Buick Regal Grand National
Odometer: 5,536
Date: 10/9/2012
Driver: Chris Walton
Price: $18,514 (original price, we paid $25,000)
Specifications:
Drive Type: Longitudinal, front engine, rear-wheel drive
Transmission Type: Four-speed automatic
Engine Type: Pushrod, two valves per cylinder
Displacement (cc/cu-in): 3,800/231
Redline (rpm): 5,200
Horsepower (hp @ rpm): 245 @ 4,400
Torque (lb-ft @ rpm): 355 @ 2,800
Brake Type (front): Ventilated discs with single-piston sliding calipers
Brake Type (rear): Drums
Suspension Type (front): Independent double wishbones, coil springs
Suspension Type (rear): Live axle, coil springs
Tire Size (front): P245/60R15 (100S) M+S
Tire Size (rear): P245/60R15 (100s) M+S
Tire Brand: BF Goodrich
Tire Model: Radial T/A
Tire Type: All-season
As Tested Curb Weight (lb): 3,599
Test Results:
Acceleration
0-30 (sec): 2.3
0-45 (sec): 3.8
0-60 (sec): 6.1
0-60 with 1-ft Rollout (sec): 5.8
0-75 (sec): 9.3
1/4-Mile (sec @ mph): 14.6 @ 92.2
Braking
30-0 (ft): 34
60-0 (ft): 145
Handling
Slalom (mph): 61.3
Skid Pad Lateral Acceleration (g): 0.82
Db @ Idle: 52.3
Db @ Full Throttle: 71.2
Db @ 70-mph Cruise: 67.4
RPM @ 70: 2,750
Comments:
Acceleration: A little pokey without pedal overlap, but the upshifts are sharp. I found holding the car steady on the brakes while raising the rpm to plus-minus 3,000 and the boost to about 5 psi netted the best launch. It seems to spool up quicker now and the midrange is definitely stronger post tune-up. So, the tune-up got us about two-tenths quicker to 60 mph.
Braking: The brakes were best when they were cool. As the number of stops increased, so did the stopping distances. Pedal feel is nearly nonexistent and lock-up (skidding) grew harder and harder to avoid despite my best efforts. I miss ABS.
Handling:
Skid pad: Pretty mild steady-state understeer here. I had to get used to surging from the turbo, but eventually managed to keep the throttle steady all the way around. Steering weight is light, yet I could feel the front tires' grip ebbing. It did puke a little oil during/after the skid pad. We double-checked the level and it was fine. Also did an underhood inspection and found some oil on the right valve cover from the breather. I sopped it up with a rag and sent it on its way home.
Slalom: Obviously new shocks and new tires helped here. Hard to imagine saying this after the last '87 Buick Grand National I tested, but this car is a confident and capable handler. Not sure if I'd give all the credit to the tires because there's also so little slack in the steering (comparatively speaking) and the chassis feels compliant and forgiving (shocks). I could really attack the slalom in this one, where I wanted to throw in the towel on the other one.
By Mike Magrath, Features Editor | Published Nov 21, 2012
Edmunds tests hundreds of vehicles a year. Cars, trucks, SUVs, we run them all, and the numbers always tell a story. With that in mind we present "Track Tested," a quick rundown of all the data we collect at the track, along with comments direct from the test drivers. Enjoy.
There are moments in a gearhead's life you will always remember. Buying your first Hot Wheels. The first time you ever drove a car. Your first speeding ticket. Your first burnout. And, for many, the first time you saw the chunky blackness of a Buick Grand National tear a Mustang a new one on the drag strip.
The specter that turbocharged beast cast in our collective memories set a mental benchmark for cool cars and has stayed with us for so long that as soon as we found a good one, we bought a 1987 Buick Regal Grand National for our long-term test fleet.
As you'd expect, we were excited to test our new Buick Grand National. First, however, we needed to replace the aging shocks and throw on a set of new meats, BF Goodrich Radial T/As of course. We also paid up for some basic maintenance like a new fuel filter and transmission fluid. But make no mistake, this is one of the lowest-mileage, stone-stockest Buick Grand Nationals in the world.
In their day, Grand Nationals terrorized tracks from Epping to Englishtown, Pomona to Portland and everywhere in between. But that was a different day and a different game. Drag strips are specially prepped, while our testing facility emulates real-world pavement.
Also, our 2012-spec California-special 91-octane has nothing on the liquid chest hair that was 1987-spec 93+ octane frequently available at the tracks we grew up on — if they were even running pump gas. And remember, we've already verified that the Buick's computer is retarding the engine timing 4 degrees at full throttle in response to the low-octane modern fuel.
In other words, the crazy-quick elapsed times we remember from the Reagan administration would be very difficult to repeat these days with our 25-year-old example. Back then we remember GNs running the quarter-mile in the 14.0-14.4-second range. And they would dip into the 13s when the catalytic converter was tossed and a more aggressive "chip" was plugged into the ECM.
With that in mind, we set out to test our Buick Grand National. As expected, it's a bit off the pace set back in 1987. But it's no slouch.
We'll test it again soon on some high-octane go juice and report back.
Vehicle: 1987 Buick Regal Grand National
Odometer: 5,536
Date: 10/9/2012
Driver: Chris Walton
Price: $18,514 (original price, we paid $25,000)
Specifications:
Drive Type: Longitudinal, front engine, rear-wheel drive
Transmission Type: Four-speed automatic
Engine Type: Pushrod, two valves per cylinder
Displacement (cc/cu-in): 3,800/231
Redline (rpm): 5,200
Horsepower (hp @ rpm): 245 @ 4,400
Torque (lb-ft @ rpm): 355 @ 2,800
Brake Type (front): Ventilated discs with single-piston sliding calipers
Brake Type (rear): Drums
Suspension Type (front): Independent double wishbones, coil springs
Suspension Type (rear): Live axle, coil springs
Tire Size (front): P245/60R15 (100S) M+S
Tire Size (rear): P245/60R15 (100s) M+S
Tire Brand: BF Goodrich
Tire Model: Radial T/A
Tire Type: All-season
As Tested Curb Weight (lb): 3,599
Test Results:
Acceleration
0-30 (sec): 2.3
0-45 (sec): 3.8
0-60 (sec): 6.1
0-60 with 1-ft Rollout (sec): 5.8
0-75 (sec): 9.3
1/4-Mile (sec @ mph): 14.6 @ 92.2
Braking
30-0 (ft): 34
60-0 (ft): 145
Handling
Slalom (mph): 61.3
Skid Pad Lateral Acceleration (g): 0.82
Db @ Idle: 52.3
Db @ Full Throttle: 71.2
Db @ 70-mph Cruise: 67.4
RPM @ 70: 2,750
Comments:
Acceleration: A little pokey without pedal overlap, but the upshifts are sharp. I found holding the car steady on the brakes while raising the rpm to plus-minus 3,000 and the boost to about 5 psi netted the best launch. It seems to spool up quicker now and the midrange is definitely stronger post tune-up. So, the tune-up got us about two-tenths quicker to 60 mph.
Braking: The brakes were best when they were cool. As the number of stops increased, so did the stopping distances. Pedal feel is nearly nonexistent and lock-up (skidding) grew harder and harder to avoid despite my best efforts. I miss ABS.
Handling:
Skid pad: Pretty mild steady-state understeer here. I had to get used to surging from the turbo, but eventually managed to keep the throttle steady all the way around. Steering weight is light, yet I could feel the front tires' grip ebbing. It did puke a little oil during/after the skid pad. We double-checked the level and it was fine. Also did an underhood inspection and found some oil on the right valve cover from the breather. I sopped it up with a rag and sent it on its way home.
Slalom: Obviously new shocks and new tires helped here. Hard to imagine saying this after the last '87 Buick Grand National I tested, but this car is a confident and capable handler. Not sure if I'd give all the credit to the tires because there's also so little slack in the steering (comparatively speaking) and the chassis feels compliant and forgiving (shocks). I could really attack the slalom in this one, where I wanted to throw in the towel on the other one.
12-01-2012, 10:11 PM
#3
TECH Regular
iTrader: (1)
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Levittown PA
Posts: 498
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My uncle bought one brand new in 1986, I remember being in the back seat as he tested new mods with it. Yeah a 2010 SS or 5.0 will dominate a GN in every way but there is something really special about a turbo Buick.
